Question Number: 22308

Mechanics 10/20/2009

RE: Rec Under 18

Pal of Sacramento, CA USA asks...

Following one of our matches this past weekend, a player of ours began insulting the referee. Having already received a yellow card earlier in the game, the referee decided to send him off. However, the referee did not show our player the red card and instead only took his player pass and wrote a send-off report. Can our player be suspended if the red card was not shown? Should our team appeal/protest the suspension?

Answer provided by Referee Michelle Maloney

So let me see if I understand. This player was seen to behave in an insulting manner toward the referee, which resulted in him getting written up for a send-off. And somehow, you guys now want to blame the referee, and get your teammate off scot-free?

Ugh. How many other guys got cards for their attitude in the game? If you lose the protest, don't you also lose the fee?

The referee has the authority to discipline players before, during and after the match. Cards are displayed on the field or its immediate environs. If an incident occurs away from the field, the referee simply includes it in his report. It is the report that matters, not what was or was not shown.

Tell that guy to grow up.

Answer provided by Referee Dennis Wickham

Showing the red card is the way that the players know they have been sent off. Under the laws of the game, the referee is required to show the red card if the player was sent off for offensive, insulting or abusive language, and to show the yellow card a second time, and then show a red card if the player was sent off for receiving a second caution in the match.

The match report should indicate why the player was sent off, and what the player said. I don't believe the disciplinary committee will think that the player should get away with repeated acts of misconduct because the red card was not shown if the player knew he was sent off and why.

Answer provided by Referee Gary Voshol

Cards are merely a visible symbol that the misconduct occurred and the referee has already taken action, either to caution or send off. The card itself does not have any magic in it that defined the misconduct. The player did that.

If misconduct happens during the game and the referee fails to show the card, he has made a minor mistake. But that doesn't invalidate the sending off.

However your incident happened after the game was complete. If the players and referee are still in the process of leaving the field, the card should be shown - although again, failure to show the card does not invalidate the misconduct. If everyone has already left, the referee is gathering his equipment or making notations on his report, and then the player decides to have another go at him, the card would not be shown. The player would simply be told that his further misconduct would be included in the referee's report, and that his passcard was being kept and would be handled per league procedures.

Answer provided by Referee Jason Wright

In the laws of the game, the act of sending off a player and showing the red card are separate actions - the laws of the game state ' a player is sent off AND shown the red card', they don't say that he's sent off by showing the red card. The same applies for a caution/yellow card

Basically, it's done this way to make sure that a referee is still able to caution or send off a player if he physically loses his card during the match, or even forgets to bring it out with him. Also, when a referee is not appointed to the match and a spectator officiates (a fairly common occurence in low grade games here in Australia), chances are he doesn't have any cards but he does still have the power to caution and send off players. Additionally, if a referee feels his safety is under threat it can be wise for him to not show the red card.

However, your incident occurred after the match; normally a card would only be shown if the referee is still on the park, but he still has authority as a referee while still at the ground (actually, even outside the ground his authority must be respected).

Your teammate needs to learn some respect, and your team needs to accept that they've been let down by this player instead of looking for an escape over whether or not the referee made a technical error.

Answer provided by Referee Joe McHugh

Hi
My referee colleagues have given detailed answers. The fact is that failure to show a card does not nullify a caution or a sending off decision. The player is dismissed and I would not waste any time on a protest as I can assure you that it will be thrown out if it is based on the fact that a card was not shown.

Answer provided by Referee Richard Dawson

Referees need to understand an emotional outburst of dissatisfaction by a player at the time of an event is not generally a reason to feel insulted. However, players need to reign in targeted ongoing abuse!

Referees are not perfect they make mistakes and like everyone else I know feel the sting of insults in pretty much the same way. This garbage of ongoing insults after a match is one of the reasons why referees are told to get away from the field as quickly as possible as no reasonable conversations are to be had when feeling are elevated.

As my colleagues have dealt with the practical aspects of card, misconduct and protestable situations I will only add we are all held accountable for our conduct, those who watch and say nothing are at times as quilty as those that can not stop saying anything!

Cheers